Brian Gongol
Test your risk intelligence
We can't always be right. In fact, it turns out that knowing roughly how confident you ought to be about what you do and don't know is actually a measurable skill -- not to mention one that has a whole lot of potential benefit to the individual who possesses the skill. Knowing how good you are at objectively assessing your own confidence is probably more important than knowing a lot of facts. It's a matter of building skilled judgment rather than leaning on the crutch of having trivial facts floating around in the head. That's why the "knowledge economy" is rapidly becoming the judgment economy. Take the test (it's a private, nonprofit study) and see what you learn.
This flight is standing-room only
Ryanair is trying to convince regulators to let it offer standing-room tickets on its flights. Just hope the pilot doesn't make a rough landing and crush your knees and ankles in the process.
Who really wins in a massive class-action case?
Senatorial candidate Roxanne Conlin is being sued by other attorneys over $75 million in law fees resulting from a $195 million settlement with Microsoft over antitrust behavior. She says it's politically motivated. Regardless, the attorneys in the case took 38% of the total settlement. That's one sizeable commission.
Researchers think they've found the genes that predict ultra-longevity
They think there are about 150 genetic markers that are linked to long life -- and they're sufficiently confident that they're planning to tell people who submit their genome sequences whether they're likely to live past age 100. The conclusion is a result of a combination of genetic science and math. Exercise, of course, is still essential to enhancing both longevity and the quality of life -- though it's really up in the air whether chocolate milk is the best recovery drink after exercise. It has some merits, but not necessarily as many as perhaps we're being sold upon.
Tornado near Sibley, Iowa, on June 25th was an EF4
That's about as strong as they come
Podcast: Being heavily-regulated isn't the same as being safe
Podcast: When cars learn to drive themselves
Flooding starts in Des Moines as Saylorville starts releasing water
